March 28, 2025 — China’s humanoid robotics sector is moving at breakneck speed, fueled by deep-pocketed electric vehicle giants, government-backed industrial policies, and a rapidly evolving AI ecosystem. Is this the next DeepSeek-style breakthrough, or is the market running on overinflated expectations? This episode of China’s DeepSeek Moment from ASPI’s Center for China Analysis (CCA) explores China’s robotics revolution and what it means for global competition. Moderator Lizzi C. Lee, CCA fellow on Chinese Economy, is joined by panelist John Lee, TOY senior fellow at Asia Society Switzerland and CCA fellow; and discussant Angela Shen, chief correspondent for biotech, robotics, and AI at ChinaTalk, to unpack China’s humanoid robotics ambitions, and the economic and geopolitical stakes of automation at scale. For more on this topic, read John Lee's report, China and the Industrial Internet of Things. (37 min., 2 sec.)